As Bran has suggested, this is good for tanking damage taken when using Abduct because of the stacks. Also, any CC you'll be hit with would be reduced.

Shoes of Focus

Reinforced Shoes

Magical And Physical Protections
Notes Breastplate of Valor's MP5 and large mana increase combined with the 20% CDR makes this a really useful item for Khepri.

The attack speed aura that comes with Shogun's Kusari is great for your AA based teammates. Great for pushing towers with teammates. By now your CDR would be maxed and you ultimate's cooldown reduced by 44 seconds. If you feel you need more protections Genji's Guard is useful because it also has magical protections and CDR, along with double the MP5 and more protections along with some health.

Build either one first depending on if there are more physical or magical based-enemy gods.

Breastplate of Valor

Shogun's Kusari

Genji's Guard

Counters Against The Enemy ADC
Notes Hide of the Nemean Lion is great against enemy AA based gods, punishes them for hurting a god so innocent. Useful against gods building crit. Reflects damage based on this raw damage dealt first (thanks Bran!).

More CDR
Notes Depending on whether there's more magical or physical enemies, choose one. Keep in mind that all structures deal physical damage.

Genji's Guard gives less CDR but its passive is useful to counter magical damage.

Breastplate of Valor

Genji's Guard

AA Counters
Notes Hide of the Nemean Lion is great against enemy AA based gods, punishes them for hurting a god so innocent. Useful against gods building crit. Reflects damage based on this raw damage dealt first (thanks Bran!).

Heavenly Wings is great for chasing runaway enemies with your teammates, or fleeing a bad situation.

Khepri's Skill Order

Abduct

1X

146710

Rising Dawn

2A

215161819

Solar Flare

3B

38111214

Scarab's Blessing

4Y

59131720

Introduction

Khepri like a few of my other guardians is probably my favorite support to play. I only have him at rank V because I've spent my time on other guardians as well like Bacchus, Sylvanus, Terra, and Ganesha. I didn't include an items section because it's all in the notes. This is a short guide mostly.

When Do you Pick Khepri?

First, you'd have to look at what Khepri provides to his team. This will give you an indication of when you should pick him. For example, if your carry is Artemis who has no escape and is fairly easy to kill, would benefit from Scarab's Blessing because of this. Along with that, Artemis has bad clear; something Khepri can help with.

Abilities

Passive: Fortitude

Useful to tank early game damage from minions and the enemy carry. Going near allies so they'll benefit from the shield is advised. This is especially useful in early game.

Abduct

A risky ability, as you're vulnerable to attacks while casting this. Use this for grabbing low health targets and setting up kills. Can also be used to drag enemies into your tower. Can pull enemies away who are chasing your carry; thereby most likely sacrificing your life :(. Don't forget that this is a channeled ability.

Rising Dawn

This is your wave clear and tool to protect allies in battle while reducing enemy protections. Fairly easy to land, but moves slowly. When deploying hit the first front allied minions first so they benefit from the buff, and will therefore take less damage from the enemy carry. This will probably deal more damage than your carry's wave clear ability.

Solar Flare

Can be used to poke and harass the enemy. Use it to set up kills with your other abilities to stop fleeing enemies. However, just like Rising Dawn it lands slowly so try to predict where the enemy will be.

Scarab's Blessing

One of the strongest ultimate abilities in the game, commonly used to save enemies. Once you target someone, retreat so they'll be revived somewhere safe. Sometimes enemies may intentionally not attack the ally you chose. You should then run to help them escape. You can you meditation on them after if you're feeling paranoid. Timing is key. It's usually best to wait nearby an ally who's just about to die before ulting.

Usually in the heat of battle this is difficult to land on the right ally. Do not use this on yourself unless necessary. Be warned that enemy executes will still kill an enemy and Scarab's Blessing is useless against them. Not to mention that Achilles is in the meta with an execute ult. If he does come after you use Abduct to try and avoid it.

Ability Combos

→

Purpose

Used for disabling and setting up a target god for your allies

→

purpose

Mostly used for poking, combined with your ADC's damaging ability

→

Purpose

Used for disabling and setting up a target god for your allies

Gameplay Stages

Early Game
Please inform me if this section is out of date, as the meta changes faster than Earth's seasons.

After buying your items from the fountain, head to duo lane; also know as the lane in which the distance between the two towers are longer. Always arrive in-lane before the minions arrive so you can get ready to help your ADC clear wave. Begin warding in the jungle transverse to the duo lane.

Deploy Rising Dawn in such a way that it hits the first three front-line minions. This way they benefit from the protections buff and the enemy minions all get a protection debuff and magical damage. It's a win-win kind of situation. Help damage minions, but don't last them. That's reserved for your ADC. This is because last hitting minions gives your ADC more gold and EXP (they need it), while you assisting with that builds stacks on Guardian's Blessing; stacks you won't get if you last hit the minions. You see? Another win-win situation!

Depending on your ADC's play style he/she may decide to play aggressively, in which case you follow your ADC's lead unless you have a high chance of dying. Your ADC may also want to clear the Void Camp for the EXP and gold. You take that buff, not them. Continue laning.

Mid Game
By now you should have completed your stacks on Guardian's Blessing. The gold will come in handy. Soon, at around 12-minutes, rotate to the middle lane. However there's a very blurred line as to when supports should rotate. The general consensus is early-middle game. If you rotate the enemy support will tacitly follow. You should always do the same. Mainly focus your rotations on mid and duo lane. Solo lane rarely needs help. If it does, help but don't overstay your welcome. When in mid lane, if your mid hasn't already warded, do it for your mid. There is a bilateral area shortly North-East and North-West of your tier 2 middle tower. Ward there.

By now you can tank a tower's brunt for a few seconds before having to have to retreat. You should help push towers when possible, as the reward is a weaker enemy Titan and a few hundred gold for everyone.

Late Game
At this point tanking towers and phoenixes shouldn't hurt you too much, as long as gaia's stone does its work. Work with your ADC to push any remaining towers. Now you can sell your Chalice of the Oracle so you can start buying sentry wards. Place these on the Fire Giant. Its buff can make or break a team fight. When pushing all the way to the enemy Titan, go as a group. A deicide late game with 70 second cooldowns is a definite win. Your team will most likely go for the Fire Giant. However don't forget to keep an eye on your phoenixes as sometimes enemy gods will backdoor your titan.

If you however are the ones that were pushed back play defensively until everyone respawns, then you may attempt a counter attack. You should try to defend your phoenixes while they're respawning as they gain health over time and are your last line of defense before the titan. Remember to stick together.

Ending

Feedback is appreciated.

P.S, if you're wondering why the Ability Combo chapter is so short is because Khepri by himself barely has any. However, when paired with his ADC, is a different story.

I'm bored with my own projects now, a lot more fun to look at other people's work.

Skills:

Most of the time I like Abduct at level 2 or even level 1 if we got kill potential. If not the 3 at level 2 is fine.
I also like to max Abduct before the Rising Dawn for better kill potential (burst damage > tick damage). Both are totally fine though.
But I do think that Scarab's Blessing could be prioritised last as long as you get the revive -> Abduct combo off the target should be safe with just 25% (maybe max it vs Thanatos).

I think the root duration is more valuable in most situations (especially when the next patch hits).

I think you undervaluate Travelers Shoes, I would definetly go for those 9/10 times as support. CDR is very good of course but just 10% is only 11 seconds reduced CD. Get Chalice of the Oracle after boots, and supplement with Sentry Wards when ever you back and got money for it.

Usually for skills I'd max Rising Dawn first because of the % based damage reduction which is awesome in teamfights for my squishy mage friends. Upgrading Abduct first does sound like a good idea for playing aggressively. But then the problem is I don't know my carry's playstyle until after a minute or so, but then by that time due to me not helping much with clearing minions could possibly set us behind.

And as for items I'll add travelers shoes as an option, along with an aura build. I hope you don't mind me naming the aura build after you

Yeah the damage reduction on Rising Dawn is definitely strong. And the protection debuff is also great.
Killing an enemy reduces his/her damage by 100% though :p
I guess Rising Dawn is the correct ability to max first TBH.

Abduct does scales more by putting points in it than Rising Dawn whrn it comes to damage though and protections is really good vs tick damage. Some times risky to use the dash for clear though ofc.

And feel free to name it after me ^_<

Also totally forgot about Emperor's Armor that item is so so nice. Though I never seem to get room for it :(

I generally agree with the skill leveling with getting Abduct 2nd (commented on a different forum post here with that general suggestion). It's a short dash, but it's got stronger CC/peel potential to displace an enemy and either defensively create more distance between them and your ADC, or pull them closer to your side for better gank potential. And if nothing else, as an escape it's better than nothing. CD is also shorter than Solar Flare.

That said, Patch 5.8 sees a boost to both the root duration and the damage, putting it almost exactly in line with Abduct. I can see it being leveled 2nd if you're looking for early aggression by quickly outclearing the wave...toss a Rising Dawn followed by a Solar Flare from a bit of distance, with the ADC finishing with their waveclear, and then pressure the enemy from there.

Also, I'd agree...I'd almost always personally get Chalice of Healing + Multi Potions (like I do on almost all support guardian starts. Allows you to be more aggressive and soak more damage...lose out on early wards, but if the team is at all aware and communicative, hopefully you don't get ganked. If you get the Chalice of Healing, it's a good early game sub for your early preference for Stone of Gaia. A combined 750 health each time it's refilled is extremely functional. Then you can opt for Gauntlet of Thebes which is going to give you way better effective health due to the protections.

No, I should have mentioned the aura build myself...both Gauntlet of Thebes and Sovereignty (with a bit less emphasis on Heartward Amulet are very strong. And since Khep usually likes sticking close with teammates throughout the whole game, the auras have great function.

Part of the reason I didn't mention Sov, though, was because you talked about getting Stone of Gaia as your preference...in which case, that provides all the HP5 you really need, and I can see then focusing on CDR to max your CC/peel/lifesaving capabilities. Yours is just a different way to build, but I think it's still functional...less auras to help teammates with protections, but perhaps earlier CDR to save them or secure kills.

Yo, interesting start that I'd say is a bit non-conventional, but you know what, it makes sense. The added health and MP5 from emerald will partially make up for the normal Chalice of Healing, and the health works decently with his passive.

In your writeup of the start, you say Oracle (misspelled btw) starts to pay off after 4 uses...it's nitpicky, but that could be interpreted as 4 wards OR 4 full uses of both wards.

I think my initial preferred relic would be Heavenly Wings rather than Meditation. The health it provides isn't all that much, and you've got plenty of mana sustain since you choose to go with Chalice of Mana...but it's personal preference.

Generally agreed on shoes, but you MIGHT consider getting Reinforced Shoes as an alternative option...since you'll be a sitting duck anytime you Abduct anyone, a bit more tankiness is appreciated. If you consider BoV and Shogun's core, then I think 30% CDR is plenty for any guardian. 40% is nicer, but not necessarily needed.

Regarding Shogun's Kusari, btw, the buff helps it be a better item, but you might consider other options as well. Depending on what you built Emerald into, you might opt for something with more health (like Genji's Guard, which also is nice for the passive CDR boost), or if there are 2 other magical gods on your team and they don't pick Void Stone up, you might consider that as well.

As for Hide of the Nemean Lion, the damage reflect that Art would see is based on the raw damage she deals to you. If I assume Emerald turned into Thebes, you have 274 physical protection, but the point you're trying to make isn't about your protections and the amount of damage you absorb. Instead, you look at Art herself. At level 20, she has 72 inherent physical protection. If she dealt 400 damage and she didn't build any protection items, the initial damage coming back to her would be 25% of that, or 100 damage. Then, she mitigates a portion of that. The damage coming back to her would be 58 damage.

(Also, LOL about the situational item comment)

I do feel that Midgardian Mail and Witchblade are very strong anti-basic attack options as well. Nemean is great, but usually better against crit, and the other two items provide some great health addition as well.

And I guess you might even consider Emperor's Armor as an option too, for objective push and defense.

Late game in your gameplay stages, you say you can sell your Chalice of the Oracle. Personally, I'd sell Chalice of Mana (you'll have plenty of mana if you got BoV/Nemean/Shogun/Focus as in your build), and keep Oracle. Oracle allows you to get at least one regular ward out, with the other being Sentry. If any of those are taken down by enemies, you have at least another regular ward you can throw down before you back and get more.

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